Lighting fixture

ABSTRACT

A lighting fixture for mounting within a ceiling recess including a pair of spaced elongated elements having recesses containing light sources disposed therein and shielded from direct view and light-reflecting means bridging said elements to reflect the light from the lighting means downwardly, the elements and reflectors being adapted to be placed in end-to-end relationship to form a lighting fixture of any desired length and the elements further include means for supporting adjacent ceiling elements when used in connection with hung ceilings and the reflectors may be integrated with air-conditioning means and auxiliary incandescent illumination.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Milton Liberman v 65 Seawane Road,East Rockaway, NY. 11518 [21] Appl. No. 800,111- [22] Filed Feb. 18,1969 [45] Patented Feb. 2, 1971 [54] LIGHTING FIXTURE 11 Claims, 12Drawing Figs. s21 us. (I 240/9, 240/51.11,240/103,240/41.l [51] Int. ClF2ls [50] Field of Search 240/103B, 51.1 1,9, 9A, 41.1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,261,733 11/1941 Pahl240/103B 2,305,722 12/1942 Liversm, 240/5 1.11 2,415,635 2/1947 Hopkins355/67 FOREIGN PATENTS 400,038 10/1933 Great Britain PrimaryExaminer-John M. Horan Assistant Examiner-D. .1. Clement Attorney-EugeneE. Geoffrey, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A lighting fixture for mounting within a ceiling recessincluding a pair of spaced elongated elements having recesses containinglight sources disposed therein and shielded from direct view andlight-reflecting means bridging said elements to reflect the light fromthe lighting means downwardly, the elements and reflectors being adaptedto be placed in end-to-end relationship to form a lighting fixture ofany desired length and the elements further include means for supportingadjacent ceiling elements when used in connection with hung ceilings andthe reflectors may be integrated with air-conditioning means andauxiliary incandescent illumination.

PATENIED FEB 2197i sum 2 [1F 5 RM wHU M E R WM m Mm W YLQ LIGHTINGFIXTURE This invention relates to lightingfixtures and more specificallyto a novel and improved .lighting fixture construction which simplifiesfabrication andinstallation of the fixture and which may be readilycoordinated with air-conditioning equipment and incandescent lightsources. 7

Ceiling lighting fixtures and particularly lighting fixtures adapted tobe coordinated with hung ceilings generally involve housings recessedwithin the ceiling and lenses closing the openings in the housing todistribute the light emitted from the light sources. Other types ofceiling fixtures are frequently secured to the surface of the ceilingand include means for directing a portion of the light upwardly towardthe ceiling and the remainder of the light downwardly for generalillumination. Substantial efforts have been made to provide good generalillumination while at the same time baffling the lamps and particularlyfluorescent lamps from direct view. This invention overcomes theproblems heretofore encountered in known lighting fixtures andparticularly fluorescent fixtures by providing a novel and improvedorganization and arrangement of elements whereby the fluorescentlighting sources are disposed within elongated recesses and reflectingmeans bridge the elements to reflect light emitted from the lampsdownwardly for generalqli'ghting. With this arrangement the lamps arereadily accessible for replacement, are completely hidden from view andmultiple fixtures can be arranged in integrated side-by-siderelationship and end-to-end relationship so that any desiredlighting'configuration can be obtained.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel andimproved fixture wherein spaced elongated elements are utilized havingrecesses therein for receiving the lamps and which elements are soarranged and constructed to facilitate formation by extrusion processeswhich greatly reduces the cost of the fixture. A reflector is supportedby and between the elements and the elongated elements are also providedwith meansfor supporting adjoining ceiling portions when the fixture isutilized in combination with a conventional hung ceiling.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of anovel and improved fixture integrally coordinated with air-conditioningmeans in a manner that will have a minimum effect on the fluorescenttubes utilized as the light sources and may be tinted to blend'with roomdecors.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision I of anovel and improved fluorescent light fixturewhich may also embodyincandescent illumination in order to more nearly approach naturallighting conditions.

7 Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of anovel and improved lighting fixture characterized by its simplicity,versatility, ease of installation and relatively low manufacturingcosts.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent from the following description and accompanying drawingsforming part of this application.

In the drawings:

'FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a ceiling having a lighting fixturemounted therein in accordance with the invention;

' FIG. 2. is a cross-sectional view in perspective of FIG. 1 taken alongthe line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along the line 3-3thereof;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment of thelighting fixture shown-in FIG. 2 wherein two lighting fixtures aremounted in side-by-side relationship;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of two lighting fixtures as T-barsused to support a hung ceiling.

The lighting fixture in accordance with the invention embodies animproved arrangement of elements which simplifies the fabrication of thelighting fixture'and enables'it to be 1 adapted for use in a variety ofapplications. As will be shown,- the lighting fixture essentiallyembodies a pair o'f'spaced elongated elements which may beinterconnected with the T-bar construction of a hung ceiling. Agenerally concave reflector issupported by the longitudinal elements andreflects light emitted from fluorescent tubes downwardly for generallighting. If desired, incandescent lamps may be integrally coordinatedwith the reflector to provide a combination of incandescent andflubrescent lighting. When air conditioning is to be employed thefixture may be provided with a longitudinal duct to discharge airthrough louvers disposed centrally of and throughout the extent of thereflector for discharging air downwardly. With this improved fixture thelongitudinal elements carrying the fluorescent tubes may be extruded ofa suitable metal such as aluminum and may be formed in any desiredlength. The reflectors as will be shown may also be formed in anydesired length to meet particular lighting requirements. Should it bedesired to place fixtures in adjoining side-by-side relationship asingle longitudinal element may be utilized between the fixtures whichelement is arranged to support two sets of fluorescent tubes separatedby a central baffle so that one set of tubes forms part of one lightingfixture while the other set of tubes forms part of the adjoininglighting fixture.

Referring now to the drawings and more specifically to FIGS. 1 to 3, thenumeral 10 denotes one embodiment of a lighting fixture in accordancewith the invention having a pair of spaced longitudinal elements.generally denoted by the numeral 11, a reflector 12 spanning theelements II and ballastcontaining means I3 for operating the fluorescenttubes 14.

Each longitudinal element 11 has a flat bottom plate 15, an upwardly andoutwardly inclined baffle 16 along the inner edge of the plate 15 and anupwardly extending plate 17 spaced from the outer edge 18 of the plate15 to provide a ledge or flange 19 for supporting adjoining ceilingelements 20. Each vertically disposed plate 17 includes an inwardlyextending flange 21 and an inwardly extending L-shaped member 22 spacedbelow the flange 21. The reflector 12 may have any desired configurationthough it is preferably formed of two generally concave sections 12a and12b which are joined at the center to form in effect a downwardlyextending V-shaped portion 23. The substantially vertically disposedouter edges of the reflector l2 are provided with offset tabs 24 spacedalong the length thereof to engage the upwardly extending legs 25 of theL-shaped members 22 and flanges 21 to support the reflector in positionon the elements I1 and provide an enclosed wireway.

The fluorescent lamps 14 are supported within the recesses or covesformed by the baffles 16 and vertically disposed plates 17 so that theyare completely shielded from direct view. The lamps are held in positionby sockets 26 of conventional configuration and are interconnected byleads 27 of which one is illustrated in FIG. 3 to a conventional ballastcontained within the housing 13. The ballast housing 13 includes ahollow rectangular column 28 which may be secured in any suitable mannerto one of the vertically disposed plates 17 of an element 11 and carriesa rectangular enclosure 29 housing the ballast. I

The fixture as described is particularly useful with hung ceilings andmay be supported by a plurality of guy wires 30 or other suitablesupports. Furthermore, by reason of the particular configuration of thelighting fixture in accordance with the invention the reflector 12 maybe arranged with any desired curvature to provide for eitherconcentrated lighting or general illumination as may be desired. Forgeneral illumination the reflector would preferably take theconfiguration as illustrated in FIG. 2 so that substantially all of thelight emanating from the lamps 14 is reflected downwardly and at thesame time distributed uniformly through a relatively wide angle. Ifdesired, the inner surfaces of the recesses containing the fluorescentlamps 14 may be provided with reflective coatings in order to improvethe efficiency of the fixture. Inasmuch as the fixture thus fardescribed does not include a lens, the lamps 14 can be easily replacedand the entire fixture may be easily and quickly cleaned by conventionalvacuuming and other cleaning processes. Furthermore, the elements 11 canbe readily extruded of aluminum or other suitable material and maytherefore be formed in any desired lengths. Since the reflector 12 maybe easily formed by suitable metal-forming machines it can be made ofany desired length. In normal practice, however, the fixtures would bemade in 2,4, 8, and 16-foot lengths to accommodate standard fluorescentlamps l4.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be observed that two or more fixturesin accordance with the invention may be mounted in side-by-siderelationship in which case the central element 11a would be utilizedbetween adjoining fixtures. The element 11a is substantially theequivalent of two elements 11 placed in back-to-back relationship andcomprises a single bottom plate 15a outwardly extending baffles 16a, asingle vertical plate 17a carrying outwardly extending flanges 21 andL-shaped members 22 as previously described.

A modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. through11 and like numerals are used to denote corresponding elements of theembodiment of the invention shown in these FIGS. and that illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive. FIG. 5 is a plan view of two lighting fixturesin accordance with the invention placed in end-to-end relationship andembodying incandescent lamps and air-conditioning means. The fixturesare generally denoted by the numerals a and include longitudinalelements 11, incandescent lighting sources 31, and an air-conditioningduct 32. The ballasts 13 are interconnected with the fluorescent lamps14 with each ballast being arranged to operate two fluorescent lamps.

The structural details of each fixture 10a as shown in FIG. 5 isillustrated more clearly in FIGS. 6 through 11. Referring to theseFIGS., it will be observed that the elements 11 are identical to theelements 11 illustrated and described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3.The reflector denoted herein by the numeral 33 has a configurationsimilar to that of the reflector 12 except that the central V-shapedportion generally denoted by the numeral 34 is provided with louvers forthe discharge of air from the insulated longitudinal conduit or air duct32. The incandescent light sources which in the instant embodiment ofthe invention are in the form of tubular quartz lamps 35 are positionedwithin housings generally denoted by the numeral 36 and one or more ofsuch lamps may be disposed along the length of each lighting fixturesection 10a. More specifically, each housing 36 is of generallyrectangular configuration having a top wall 37, and sidewalls 38 and 39.The sidewall 38 extends downwardly and is secured to the side of thereflector 33. The upper end of the sidewall 38 has an inwardly extendingflange 38' which is riveted to the top wall 37. The sidewall 39 isintegrally formed with the top wall 37 and has a bottom flange 39 whichis riveted to the reflector 33. A louver assembly generally denoted bythe numeral 40 generally conforms with the shape of the reflector and issecured to a rectangular opening in the reflector by rivets 41 and 42.Reflectors 43 and 44 are disposed within the housing 36 with thereflector 43 being riveted to the sidewall 38 and the reflector 44 beingsecured at the lower end to the sidewall 39 and upper end to the topwall 37. The reflectors are spaced one from the other to form a gap 45and the sidewall 38 has an opening 46 to provide for the flow of airthrough the housing 36. It is evident that any number of incandescentlamp assemblies 31 may be included on one or both sides of the lightingfixture to provide the desired amount of incandescent light.

When the fixture in accordance with the invention is utilized withair-conditioning means, the reflector 33 is provided with a louverassembly 34 which is more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11.

When the louver assembly 34 is utilized, the reflector 33 may be formedin two sections 33a and 33b, and the inner ends of the reflector arebent upwardly to form upwardly extending legs 47 and 48. Theair-conditioning duct 32 having insulation 32 about the outer sidethereof has a bottom opening with the edges of the opening bentdownwardly to form legs 49 and 50. The duct 32 is coupled to thereflector portions 33a and 33b by members 51 and 52. Each of the members51 and 52 has a vertical portion 53 riveted to the adjoining legs 49 andrespectively. The lower end of the vertical portion 53 has a horizontalportion 54, a vertical portion 55 and a second horizontal portion 56.The outer edge of the horizontal portion 56 carries a first louver 57.The bottom of the louver assembly comprises an essentiallydiamond-shaped element 58 which may be formed by extrusion or othersuitable means and louvers59 and 60 and 61 are spaced between thediamond-shaped element 58 and the first louver 57. The

opposite side of the louver assembly is formed in the same manner andcorresponding elements are denoted by like numerals. The louvers 59, 60,and 61 and the diamond-shaped tubular member are secured in position onerelative to the others by end brackets 62.

The flow vof air from the duct 32 through the louver assembly 34 iscontrolled by slidably disposed dampers generally denoted by thenumerals 63 and 64. Each damper 63 and 64 has a horizontal portion65which rests on the horizontal portion 54 of the associated member 51.The outer edge of the portion 65 has an upwardly formed flange 66 andeach end of the damper carries a downwardly extending lever 67 securedto a downwardly formed tab 68. The dampers 63 and 64 are held inposition by horizontal members 69 which are secured to the verticalportion 53 of the member 51 and extend inwardly and terminate in adownwardly formed flange 70. With this arrangement the dampers can becontrolled by the levers 67. FIG. 6 shows one of the dampers movedinwardly to partially close the opening in 'the duct 32 while the otherdamper is in the open position. It is evident that the dampers can beadjusted in any desired manner to affect complete control of the supplyof air. A second louver assembly 71 is disposed between the verticalportions 55 of the members 51 and rests on the horizontal sections 56.The louver assembly 71 includes side portions 72 and 73 and spacedtransverse baffles 74. With this arrangement excellent air distributionand control is obtained and the major elements forming the louverstructure can be extruded to reduce cost of manufacture and assembly.

As pointed out previously, the fixture in accordance with the inventionis particularly useful in connection with hung ceilings which areusually supported in spaced relationship from the basic ceilingstructure. A hung ceiling is customarily provided with a plurality ofT-bars which are spaced to support individual ceiling tiles. FIG. 12illustrates the coordination of the lighting fixture in accordance withthe invention with conventional T-bar construction. In this FIG. alongitudinal element 11 is illustrated and is provided with slots 75 atspaced intervals to accommodate and interlock with T-bars 76. Each T-baris provided with an outwardly extending tab 77 which is inserted in acooperating slot 75 and then bent at right angles to hold the T-bar inposition with the longitudinal fixture element 1 1. In this way fixturesin accordance with the invention can be supported from the basic ceilingC, as shown in FIG. 6, and then the T-bars 76 can be installed andsupported from the ceiling C. Thereupon the ceiling tiles 20, as viewedin FIG. 2, can merely be placed in position to complete the ceiling.

While only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it is apparent that alterations,

modifications, and changes may be made without departing from the basicconcepts of this invention.

I claim: v

l. A lighting fixture for use with hung ceilings'comprising a pair ofspaced parallel, relatively rigid elements each having a substantiallyflat bottom plate, a baffle plate along the inner edge of each bottomplate, and. an upwardly extending plate extending along each bottomplate with at least one upwardly extending plate on one element beingspaced inwardly from the outer edge of said bottom plate to form anoutwardly extending flange, lighting means supported between said battleand said upwardly extending plate, concave light-reflecting meansbridging said elements and directing light emitted by said lightingmeans in a downward direction and means for supporting said elementswith said bottom plates substantially coplanar with said hung ceiling.

2. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein said concavelight-reflecting means comprises two elongated concave sections joinedto form a central longitudinal V-shaped portion.

3. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein each upwardlyextending plate includesan inwardly extending flange spaced from theupper edge thereof and an L-shaped member below and in spacedrelationship to said flange and said reflector includes spaced offsettabs engaging said L-shaped members and flanges.

4. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein said upwardlyextending plate on each of said elements is spaced inwardly from theouter edge of said bottom plate.

5. A lighting fixture according to claim 4 wherein each of said upwardlyextending plates includes longitudinally spaced openings for engagementwith T-bars of a hung ceiling.

6 A lighting fixture according to claim 1 including a ballast housingdisposed above one of said elements and means including a wire-receivingchannel securing said ballast housing to said element.

7. A lighting fixture according to claim I wherein said reflectorincludes a longitudinally disposed louver assembly and said fixturefurther includes a longitudinally disposed airconditioning duct havingan opening communicating with said louver.

8. A lighting fixture according to claim 7 wherein said louver assemblyincludes dampers for controlling the flow of air through said lou,vers.

9. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 whereinsaid reflectorincludes at least one opening therein, a housing overlying said openingand secured to said reflector and incandescent lighting means disposedwithin said housing and directing light downwardly through said opening.

10. A lighting fixture according to claim 9 wherein said reflectorincludes a longitudinally disposed louver assembly, and said fixturefurther includes a longitudinally disposed airconditioning ducthaving=an opening communicating with said louver.

l l. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein the othe of saidelements has its upwardly extending plate disposed centrally of saidbcttom plate and the outer edge of the last said plate includes a secondbaffle extending along the length thereof, the last said platesupporting one edge of a second reflector in side-by-side relationshipto the first said reflector.

1. A lighting fixture for use with hung ceilings comprising a pair ofspaced parallel, relatively rigid elements each having a substantiallyflat bottom plate, a baffle plate along the inner edge of each bottomplate, and an upwardly extending plate extending along each bottom platewith at least one upwardly extending plate on one element being spacedinwardly from the outer edge of said bottom plate to form an outwardlyextending flange, lighting means supported between said baffle and saidupwardly extending plate, concave light-reflecting means bridging saidelements and directing light emitted by said lighting means in adownward direction and means for supporting said elements with saidbottom plates substantially coplanar with said hung ceiling.
 2. Alighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein said concavelight-reflecting means comprises two elongated concave sections joinedto form a central longitudinal V-shaped portion.
 3. A lighting fixtureaccording to claim 1 wherein each upwardly extending plate includes aninwardly extending flange spaced from the upper edge thereof and anL-shaped member below and in spaced relationship to said flange and saidreflector includes spaced offset tabs engaging said L-shaped members andflanges.
 4. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein saidupwardly extending plate on each of said elements is spaced inwardlyfrom the outer edge of said bottom plate.
 5. A lighting fixtureaccording to claim 4 wherein each of said upwardly extending platesincludes longitudinally spaced openings for engagement with T-bars of aHung ceiling. 6 A lighting fixture according to claim 1 including aballast housing disposed above one of said elements and means includinga wire-receiving channel securing said ballast housing to said element.7. A lighting fixture according to claim 1 wherein said reflectorincludes a longitudinally disposed louver assembly and said fixturefurther includes a longitudinally disposed air-conditioning duct havingan opening communicating with said louver.
 8. A lighting fixtureaccording to claim 7 wherein said louver assembly includes dampers forcontrolling the flow of air through said louvers.
 9. A lighting fixtureaccording to claim 1 wherein said reflector includes at least oneopening therein, a housing overlying said opening and secured to saidreflector and incandescent lighting means disposed within said housingand directing light downwardly through said opening.
 10. A lightingfixture according to claim 9 wherein said reflector includes alongitudinally disposed louver assembly, and said fixture furtherincludes a longitudinally disposed air-conditioning duct having anopening communicating with said louver.
 11. A lighting fixture accordingto claim 1 wherein the other of said elements has its upwardly extendingplate disposed centrally of said bottom plate and the outer edge of thelast said plate includes a second baffle extending along the lengththereof, the last said plate supporting one edge of a second reflectorin side-by-side relationship to the first said reflector.